Lumber unstacking and distributing apparatus



1952 M. D BARNEY ETAL 2,614,705

LUMBER UNSTACKING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed March 29, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS Mortimer lllEarTEy Rub Er't 1-5511 11 ey Y E dg am A or dam. B Z

ATTORNEY Oct. 21, 1952 M BARNEY ETAL 2,614,706

LUMBER UNSTACKING AND DISTRIBUTING APPARATUS Filed March 29 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS MurtimEr II E|ar'n By R :1]: EH. LE arm a y E25 a A Jul" :1 an

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ATTORNEY Patented Get. 21, 1952 LUMBER UNS TACKING 'ANn'nrsTRiisU'riNG APPARATUS I .Mortimer D. Barney, RobertI. BarneypandEdgar A.'Jordan,Prineville,;-0reg.

Application March29, 19st; s'erialfNo. 152;s54, 40mins. (emu-ass) 'I'his *invention relates to what may be'termed a lumber unstacking and distributing apparatus.

' Lumber as it is cut is usually stacked in piles and to unstack, distribute and sort it is a long drawn out and delayed operation, as it is, so faras weare aware largely a manual operation.

' Th object of the present invention is topro- "vide a' conveyor for delivering a stack of lum- "ber'to an'apparatus so'constructed that the boards in the stack or .pile can beejectedand incvedmechanically to'a conveyor and thence to'a'sortingtable. I

A further object of 'the' invention is to provide means; forming part of the unstacking apparatus; to. eject the cross strips or boards employed a between various layers of boards in the pile to 'form' spaces for entrance of air for drying, so that only the longitudinal boards in'a given layer in the pile will be ejected and'moved to a v sorting'table.

A further object of the invention is to provide improvedspecific means for confining the pile of lumber in proper position and retain it in such position whilethe bottom longitudinal boards in the pile are ejected and moved to a sorting table.

A still further object of the-invention is to provide means for separating the transverse sticks or boards from the longitudinal boards to .be sorted, and remove such separated sticks or jboards from the apparatus. These-and other objects of the invention will be hereinafter described'and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved unpacking apparatus.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan sectional view.

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4- -4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a similar view but showing the lower layer of boards being ejected onto the sorting table.

Figure 6 is a detail view, of the adjustable means between the gauge bar and its support.

Figure '7 is a detail view of the chain and one of the teeth.

1 indicates a frame composed of side rails 2, end rails 3 and legs 4. 0n theside rails 2' are bearings 5, which receive the trunnions of a series of rollers 6, on of which, namely 6a, is provided with a sprocket Wheel 1.

Two or more chains 8 extend transversely across the frame, the top surface of the chains being on a level with the tops of the rollers 6.

'8; the approximate distance being" equal The chains are provided at suitable interv-als with teeth 8a to engage theedgeof a "longitudinal bearddn a pile in the ejecting operation. The chains ;-8' are-trainedaround sprocket-wheels 9, secured "in" suitable bearings l0' 'on the frame'l; i

1 one-sidef'of the frame land straddling the chains 8" are-uprights12. Ex't'endingfroin and secured to these uprights,- are bars I3." "These bars extend horizontally across and above 'the frame I and at their-opposite ends thy-supportvertically disposed-depending bars-l4.

At-the lower ends ofthe' depending" bars l-4 is "a gauge bar 15 vertically adjustably secured by means ofslots and sc'rews'lB. Thebottom-or lower surface of the gauge-bar 15 is normally spacedfrom' the horizontal level of the'chains I I} lid-the thickness-of the" boards to-be ejected. 1 The "sprocket wheels *Qct'onone side of -th'e fra'inel-are mounted ona common sh'aft I 1;op-

tion Ila supported within'the frame and below the chains-8 is ahopper' wyin' the'bottoml of which-operates "a conveyor I9 operated from any suitable source. The side 20 of-thehopper be low the gauge ban'IE 'is somewhat-'longer" than the opposit companion side 2| which is shorter 30 "2 I, as will more-particularly appearbyreference and at a more-acute angle than the other-side to Figures land 5. v

In advance of the frame I is a conveyor 22, trained around a roller 23 spaced from the roller 6a. On the shaft of roller 23 is a sprocket wheel 24, around which and a sprocket on roller 6a is trained a chain 25.

26 indicates blocks which are placed on the conveyor 22 and on these blocks is supported a stack of lumber 2; to be advanced to the unstacking apparatus.

From the side of the frame 1 adjacent the gauge bar I5 is a sorting platform 29 which receives the boards ejected by the chains 8.

In operation, blocks 26 are placed on the conveyor 22 and these blocks support a pile or stack of lumber. The conveyor is started which advances the pile of lumber 21 toward the unstacking apparatus. As the pile of lumber is advanced its forward end will ride over the roller 6a and as this roller is in motion with roller of the conveyor 22 the pile of lumber is moved over the other rollers 6 by both rollers 23 and 6a. As the pile of lumber is advanced it leaves the conveyor 22 and the blocks 26 drop out of place and the pile of lumber is advanced over the rollers 6 by roller 6a until it is well within the confines of the bars [2, l3 and I4, whereupon the movement of roller Ea is stopped.

At this time the pile of lumber is supported on the rollers 6a and 6 and the chains 8 are stationary. Power is now applied to the chains and as the teeth 8a engage the edge of the lower longitudinal layer of boards, said boards are forced through the space 39 between the gauge bar and frame 1 onto the platform 29.

As the lower layer of boards is ejected, the sticks or boards between the lower longitudinal boards and the next like layer of boards fall down into the hopper. After a few of the boards in the lower layer are advanced toward the space 30 the ends of the transverse sticks between the layers drop down into the hopper onto the conveyor l9.and are carried out to the end of the frame and discharge.

As the sticks separating the boards to be removed from the pile will tend to pointdown toward the wall 20 of the hopper, it serves to turn .or twist the sticks 31 lengthwise of the conveyor l9 when the opposite end of said sticks are finally freed from the weight of the pile of lumber.

. ,Obviously by adjusting the height of the gauge bar [5 on the vertical bars l4, boards of various thickness can be ejected through the space 30 to the adjacent platform;

What is claimed as new is:

1. A lumber unstacker comprising a frame, a series of transversely disposed chains and rollers on the frame, bars extending upwardly from one side of the frame, horizontal bars extending across the frame from the upwardly extending bars toward the opposite side of the frame, other bars depending from the opposite ends of the horizontal bars and terminating above and spaced from the chains, a longitudinal bar attached to the lower ends of the depending bars, means for conveying a pile of lumber to the chains and rollers and between the bars, a platform opposite the frame, and means for operating the chains to eject the lower longitudinal layer of boards from the pile through the space between the chains and the terminals of the depending bars to the platform.

2. A lumber unstacking apparatuses defined in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal bar at the lower terminals of the depending bars is vertically adjustable.

- 4 3. A lumber unstacking apparatus comprising a frame, a series of rollers and chains on the frame parallel to each other and extending transversely of the frame with said chains being inwardly of and spaced from the outermost rollers at both ends of the frame, said rollers and chains being positioned on the frame to support a pile of lumber, a series of'barssupported on the frame to substantially embrace a pile of lumber on the rollers and chains, said series of bars comprising a pair of bars extending vertically from the frame with each bar adjacent one nd of each chain, a second pair of bars connected at one end of each bar to the upper end of each of said first bars and extending the frame and below the rollers to receive strips interposed between the longitudinal \layers of lumber to be sorted in the pile, as such longitudinal layers of lumber are ejected from the pile by the chains, and a conveyor in'the bottom of the hopper.

4. A lumber unstacker as defined in claim 3, wherein a conveyor is spaced from the frame, means simultaneously operating the conveyor and one of the rollers on the frame, a series of blocks on theconveyor to support a pile of lumber the bottom of which is in line with the tops of the rollers, said blocks falling through the space when the forward part of the pile of lumber passes over the point of the rollers.

MORTIMER D. BARNEY. ROBERT I. BARNEY. EDGAR A. JORDAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

V UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Garrett Mar. 23, 1915 

